Can’t start the day without a nice espresso? So you bought yourself a Nespresso or a Keurig K-cup. They make a nice espresso, but it would be great to be able to have reusable coffee pods.
Alternatives to Nespresso pods or K-cup pods can end up being cheaper and will reduce waste for a more sustainable espresso. Are reusable coffee pods a good choice? We tell you all about it!
Which brands of coffee machines are concerned?
Made of aluminum, disposable coffee pods or capsules are recyclable in theory, but few are really. To limit waste reffilable coffee pods are an ideal solution. There are some for all the main brands of coffee machines: reusable Nespresso pods, reusable K-cups pods, Cuisinart or Ninja reusable capsules.
Reusable coffee pod: what exactly is it?
These are coffee pods made from plastic or stainless steel that are reffilable: you fill them with the coffee of your choice each time you use them and wash them after use.
Plastic or stainless-steel coffee pods?
They both are compatible with the main brands (check the pods’ instructions before buying) and cost between 5 and 30$ (per pod or capsule). Plastic ones tend to be cheaper but last less, between 150 and 400 uses. The metal reusable coffee pods can last for a lifetime but are more expensive.
The metal capsules get really hot after use, you have to wait a few minutes to extract them, unlike the plastic ones.
Reusable coffee pods: why do you have to use them?
Save money
A Nespresso pod can cost more than a dollar and other compatible brands are still in the range of $0.50.
With a reusable Nespresso pod or a reusable K-cup pod, you use regular coffee packs which cost an average between the price of the supermarket and that of a high-end coffee roaster. Knowing that you need about 5 g per dose of coffee, each espresso made with a refillable capsule can cost you less than $0.10 for a high-quality espresso.
If your refillable pod costs $30 and you save between $0.15 and $0.35 per espresso, you repay your reusable Nespresso pod with between 85 and 235 coffees, same for the reusable K-cup pod. If you are two people drinking 2 espressos per day, your reusable capsule can be reimbursed in less than a month.
After that, you are making substantial savings: for 4 espressos per day, you save between $300 and $500 per year.
And that’s not counting the extra coffees when you have guests.
More coffee choices
The refillable coffee capsules are compatible with all ground coffees, which means a huge choice of flavors to try! Every time you change your coffee, you can revisit your preferred drinks with a new flavor: pumpkin spice latte, espresso martini, or try a cafe viennois or a cafe noisette…
Ecological reasons
There are billions of coffee pods thrown away after use around the world, few of which are recycled. Switching to reusable coffee capsules reduces or even eliminates all your waste: for 4 coffees a day, that’s 3 kg less waste per year… small streams make big rivers.